THEOSISAugustine of Hippo
The title of the eighty-seventh Psalm introduces a unique topic for consideration: the terms used herein, directed at Melech, do not occur elsewhere. We have previously discussed the meanings of the designations Psalmus Cantici and Canticum Psalmi, and the phrase “sons of Corea” is frequently mentioned and often elucidated. However, what follows in this title is rather uncommon. The term 'Melech' can also be interpreted as 'choir' in Latin, reflecting the sense of the Hebrew word. Here, the Passion of the Lord is foreshadowed. The apostle Peter states, "and Christ suffered for us, leaving us an example, that we should follow His steps" (1 Peter 2:21). This illustrates the essence of response. Likewise, the apostle John declares, "As Christ laid down his life for us, so we must lay down our lives for the brethren" (1 John 3:16), which also represents a response. Yet, the choir symbolizes agreement rooted in love; thus, one who emulates the Passion of the Lord and offers his body to be burned without love does not truly respond in the choir and therefore gains nothing (1 Corinthians 13:3). Much like the Latin terms Precentor and Succentor, which denote a performer who sings the opening part and one who follows, in this Passion hymn, the choir of martyrs follows Christ to the completion of the heavenly crowning. It is sung by the sons of Corea, signifying followers of Christ’s Passion; as Christ was crucified on Calvary, the Hebrew term Cor conveys this meaning (Matthew 27:33). Similarly, Aman the Israelite is understood in the concluding phrase of this title, as Aman implies 'brother.' Christ chooses to regard as His brethren those who grasp the mystery of His Cross and are unashamed of it, faithfully proclaiming it, not boasting of their own merits, but being grateful for His grace; thus it can be said of them, "Behold, a true Israelite in whom there is no guile" (John 1:47), just as Scripture describes Israel itself as free from deceit (Genesis 25:27).
O Lord God of my salvation, I have cried before Thee day and night (Psalm 86:1). Let us now listen to Christ's voice prophesying before us, to which His own choir must respond in either imitation or gratitude. "O let my prayer enter into Thy presence; incline Thy ear to my call" (Psalm 87:2). Our Lord prayed not in the form of God, but in the form of a servant; thus, He experienced suffering in this way. He prayed consistently in times of well-being, meaning during daylight, and in times of hardship, presumably referring to the night. The entrance of prayer toward God indicates its acceptance; His inclination of ear signifies compassionate hearing: God possesses no physical members like we do. Yet, this portion generally reflects repetition.
"For my soul is filled with evil, and my life draweth nigh unto Gehenna" (Psalm 86:3). Can we dare to say that the soul of Christ was filled with evil when the Passion primarily affected His body? Thus, the soul experiences anguish even without the body, but the body cannot exist without the soul. Hence, could we not assert that the soul of Christ was filled with the afflictions of humanity, although not with individual sins? Another prophet states He carried our sorrows (Isaiah 53:4), and the Evangelist recounts how He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with Him, and He began to be sorrowful and troubled; the Lord said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even unto death" (Matthew 26:37-38). The prophet who authored this psalm, foreseeing these events, reflects Christ's anguish by saying, "My soul is full of wickedness, and my life draweth nigh unto hell." This conveys similar sentiments, akin to "My soul is sorrowful unto death." The expressions "My soul mourneth" correspond with "My soul is full of wickedness," and likewise, "my life draweth nigh unto hell" mirrors these emotions of human frailty that our Lord assumed, not due to necessity, but out of the free exercise of His mercy to embody human experience. His body, which represents the Church (where He is pleased to be the Head), encompassing His members, especially His holy and devoted disciples, endows them with the understanding that even amidst trials, they should not presume themselves out of His favor. Rather, like a choir following its leader, they learn from their Head that these tribulations signify human frailty, not sin. We read of the apostle Paul, a principal member of this body, who confessed, indicating that his heart was deeply grieved, reflecting on his brethren in the flesh who were Israelites. If we propose that our Lord grieved for them in anticipation of His Passion, wherein they would bear immense guilt, we are not mistaken. Ultimately, what our Savior uttered on the cross, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Luke 23:34), is echoed in later verses: "I am counted among those who go down into the pit" (Psalm 87:4). This was spoken by those who did not comprehend, erroneously perceiving Him as merely dead, like any other man, subjected to need and vanquished by it. The term pit is interpreted as denoting depths of sorrow or hell. "I was a man who had no help."
"Free among the dead" (Psalm 86:5). These words highlight the identity of our Lord, for who else is free among the dead but He who exists in the likeness of sinful flesh while being solely without sin (Romans 8:3)? Thus, being free among the dead, He possessed the authority to lay down His life and to take it back; no one could seize it from Him, as He willingly offered it; He could revive His body, likening it to the temple that they demolished, acting solely according to His will; when all forsook Him before His Passion, He did not stand alone, for, as He affirms, His Father did not abandon Him (John 8:29). Yet His adversaries, for whom He prayed, unaware of their actions, were regarded as helpless, as wounded beings lying in the grave. Yet He further states, "Whom ye do not yet remember," and this clause accentuates the distinction between Christ and all other dead. Although He was cast down and dead lying in the grave (Matthew 27:50, 60), those who were ignorant of Him and His actions mistakenly regarded Him as akin to those who had perished from their wounds and slept in the tomb, failing to remember God—that is, they for whom the moment of resurrection had not yet arrived. The Scriptures depict the dead as sleeping, intending to express their destined awakening, that is, their resurrection. However, He, who lay wounded and sleeping in the tomb, awoke on the third day, becoming like a sparrow isolated upon the roof—that is, positioned at the right hand of His Father in heaven: and He shall not perish again, for death shall no longer reign over Him (Romans 6:9). Thus, He is immensely set apart from those whom God had not yet remembered to grant resurrection, for what was to occur previously with the Head was reserved for the Body at the finale. It is further indicated that God remembers when He acts and seemingly forgets when He does not act; yet God cannot forget, as He is unchanging, nor remember, since He cannot forget. Then, those who did not understand their actions perceived me as one without aid, perceiving me as wounded, while I lay in the grave. However, concerning these very men who made such claims about me, it is noted that they are cast away from Thy hand; that is, when I was rendered thus by them, they were severed from Thy hand; those who deemed me without help lack the assistance of Thy hand—indeed, as another Psalm states, "they have dug a pit before me, and they themselves are fallen into the midst of it."
"They put Me in the lowest pit" (Psalm 86:6), which denotes the deepest pit. In Greek, this aligns with the notion of profoundest woe, one more deep than which there is none. Hence, it is stated in another psalm, "Thou hast brought me also out of the ditch of misery." In a dark place and under the shadow of death, they placed Him there, being ignorant of their actions—thus, in a certain honor. They did not recognize Him whom none of the rulers of this world understood (1 Corinthians 2:8). The shadow of death may be interpreted in relation to the death of the body, or to that of which it is recorded, that they walked in darkness and in the land of the shadow of death, the light being exalted upon them (Isaiah 9:2). This signifies those who, by faith, have been lifted from the shadows and despair of sin into the light and life. Such individuals, who considered our Lord so, were ignorant of their deeds and numbered Him among those He aimed to rescue.
"Thy indignation lies upon Me" (Psalm 87:7); alternatively, as others translate, "Thy wrath" or "Thy fury." The Greek term is θυμὸς, which has been subject to various perspectives. When the Greek text contains ὀ ργὴ, translators have freely rendered it as ira in Latin; yet, stemming from the term θυμὸς, many hesitate to translate it in that manner, although several distinguished Latin writers, in their translations from Greek thought, did so. I will not further delve into this matter; However, if I were to suggest another word, I might find indignation more suitable than rage, as the latter is not commonly applied to men. What does it imply, "Thy wrath is upon me," than the belief of those who did not recognize the Lord of Glory (1 Corinthians 2:8), who thought that not only had God's anger been ignited, but that it had also come upon the very one they dared to execute, regarding Him, particularly His death, with contempt and even worse, the death on the cross? Hence, the apostle notes, "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree" (Galatians 3:13). Thus, desiring to commend His obedience which culminated in utter humility, He states, "He humbled Himself and became obedient even unto death; and because this seemed not enough, He further included even the death of the Cross" (Philippians 2:8). For this same reasoning, as far as I perceive, He mentions in the Psalm, "And all Thy hangings," or as others say, "waves," "stirrings," "Thou hast brought upon Me." We likewise discover in another Psalm: "All Thy suspensions and waves have passed over me," or as some render it better, "have descended upon me;" for the Greek uses διῆλθον rather than εἰσῆλθον. When both terms appear—waves and suspensions—they cannot stand equivalently. In this context, we have defined suspension as a threat, and wave as tangible suffering—which both arise from Divine judgment. Yet, it is stated, "All things have passed over me," while here, "Thou hast brought all things upon me." In the prior sense, such misfortunes were temporary; yet here we see, "Thou hast brought them upon Me," highlighting that all prophesied regarding His Passion was unfolding as expected.